RURAL REALITY CHECK
Four years ago,
economist Ray Rasker began touring towns in the Greater Yellowstone
region with a slideshow. His message: New growth in local economies
comes mostly from high tech and service industries, not resource
extraction like mining or grazing. Rasker, with The Wilderness
Society in Bozeman, Mont., says, “Most people told me, “Our town’s
different. You’re just looking at the region as a whole.” I
realized it would be a lot more powerful if people started doing
this themselves.” Out of that realization came Measuring Change in
Rural Communities, a workbook released this year by The Wilderness
Society in conjunction with Montana State University. The book
helps communities gather information on local demographics,
economic trends, housing and wages by providing blank tables and
summary questions. Rasker has presented the workbook to several
environmental groups and citizens’ forums. Robbie Garrett, a
businessman in Dillon, Mont., who is using the workbook to help
resolve land-use disputes, says Rasker’s book is “something that
allows you to see what you’re doing.” For more information, contact
Ray Rasker, The Wilderness Society, 105 W. Main, Suite E, Bozeman,
MT 59715 (406/587-7331).
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Rural reality check.
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